Photo: WDCpix

Photo: WDCpix

It’s too late now to help Norm Coleman’s re-election prospects, but a Texas judge is hearing arguments today on a motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit that alleges that Coleman friend Nasser Kazeminy secretly steered $75,000 to the former senator while he was in office.

 

The case pits the former CEO of a Texas firm called Deep Marine Technology against Kazeminy and other owners. Coleman isn’t a defendant and in fact is far from the focus of the lawsuit.

Soon after it was filed in Texas courts in the closing days of the 2008 election, the suit was withdrawn and then refiled, giving brief credence to Coleman’s assertion that the plaintiffs were using Coleman’s tight re-election contest as leverage to get a fatter settlement — with cooperation (alleged, never proven) from his Democratic opponent, Al Franken.

Should the Texas lawsuit get dismissed, that would be one fewer headache hanging over Coleman from his Senate days. A companion lawsuit in Delaware that’s been on and off may be on again, while an investigation by the Secret Service into a donor database breach is ongoing. Plus, the FBI won’t comment about a reported investigation into whether Kazeminy funneled Coleman money and paid for his suits.

Coleman sought and mostly received permission from the Federal Election Commission to spend campaign cash on legal costs and some other expenses related to the Texas case.